Monday, May 16, 2022; Austin Iowa, Rochester Minnesota
Thanks to a very quiet and level parking lot and cool weather overnight, we slept like logs and were up with the sun. We headed north, stopping to refuel just north of Des Moines in Ankeny, taking on 19.137gal @$5.09/gal with 24346 miles on the odometer, and again in Northwood Iowa, taking on 11.371gal @ $4.969/gal- the lowest price for diesel we have seen in a very long time, with 24480 miles on the odometer. We were hungry and looking for a restaurant. There was a new Iowa rest area which had a tourist information center. We learned that the Winnebago Industries Class A and C factory was in Forest City IA, about 40 minutes drive, but that the tours needed reservations and started at noon. We probably wouldn’t have made it, but will possibly do so after visiting Arthur in Rochester MN. We also learned there is a Spam museum in Austin, Minnesota, which happens to be on our route to Rochester. We also got directions to Sue’s Corner Post Cafe in the neighboring town of Northwood.
Northwood, like many small midwestern towns, had a really cute and well maintained old downtown core with clean streets and no homeless people. Sue, the Cafe proprietor really ran her tail off.
She was really efficient and while the food wasn’t particularly creative or unique, it was well prepared, hot and of good portion size.
With lunch under out belts, we drove through the Iowa countryside, past newly plowed cornfields dotted with wind turbines.
The crosswinds in Iowa were really brisk, causing the “Crosswind Assist” stability control feature of the Mercedes Sprinter chassis to engage frequently. This seems to pulse one of the brakes to counteract severe tilting caused by particularly hard gusts. While this helps keep you pointed straight and upright, it is a bit of a jolt when it activates.
We arrived in Austin, Minnesota under a clear sunny sky and brisk winds.
The museum is very well done and a showcase of bright colors, sounds and high energy built around the Spam brand. There are exhibits highlighting the origins of Spam, its importance during WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and the Gulf wars, as well as its ongoing importance in the military, and as an ambassador of American culture and power around the world.
Hormel, the manufacturer of Spam, makes a dizzying variety of Spam flavors that are shipped all around the world. We only see very few of them in the US. The Philippines consumes the most Spam per capita of any country in the world. Surprisingly, even the UAE, a predominantly Muslim country, imports a lot of Spam products (some of which are made with Turkey). We got to Spample some jalapeño flavored Spam, which was quite tasty and not particularly hot.
We walked one of the trails at the J C Hormel Nature Center, which was a huge arboretum established by the local pork and meat family members. It has a small but nice science museum and meeting spaces used by local school groups and other organizations, along with miles of trails through woods and across streams.
We arrived in Rochester MN in the mid afternoon. Our Boondockers Welcome host has a 40 acre farm which is mostly wooded with a 3-4 acre lawn in front of the house and barn. The Boondockers site is well away from the house and barn so it is private, quiet and comfortable.
There is a picnic table and fire ring, and they provide firewood and information on nearby tourism attractions. They also pointed out wild parsnip, which is an invasive they are trying to eradicate, but which may be found on the grounds. It is notable because the sap causes severe blistering. It is related to wild hogweed, but has yellow flowers instead of white.
Arthur and Jenny came by and picked us up at our campsite in their SUV, and gave us a tour of their home, and the local neighborhood including stores where they frequent. Nephews Eric and Henry have been living with their parents Arthur and Jenny during the pandemic. Eric and Jenny both work at the Mayo Clinic in software development and IT while Henry works for Concur in Bellevue WA but works remotely from Rochester, MN. Their Rochester home is spacious and modern with plenty of room for remote work spaces and adult kids. Eric and Henry each have their cooking specialties and rotate through the kitchen with Jenny.
They treated us to dinner at the Star Ocean Buffet, a large Chinese all you can eat buffet, which had previously been an Old Country Buffet restaurant a couple years back. The decor was very nicely done and very much in keeping with a modern upscale Chinese restaurant. The food was pretty good in quality, particularly for such an extensive buffet. There was a lot of sea food including whole fried tilapia, clams, cray fish, calamari, fake crab and fried fish. There were also sushi rolls and a Mongolian grill. We, of course, ate ourselves silly again.
We returned to Arthur and Jenny’s house to visit some more and take nice hot showers before being returned to the RV for the night. There was a haunting full moon coming up from the horizon. Tomorrow, Jenny will give us a tour of the Mayo Clinic where she works, and in the afternoon we may see a few other Rochester sights.
